


Impending Bloom

by Ratchen



Category: Day6 (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-19
Updated: 2019-08-06
Packaged: 2020-07-08 13:33:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19870471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ratchen/pseuds/Ratchen
Summary: Sojin (OC) begins his first year of university and falls for Kim Wonpil in an instant. Unfortunately, things get more complicated once he literally becomes lovesick and begins to cough up flower petals. Sojin finds that he has limited time to make Wonpil return his love or face an untimely demise.Based on the Hanahaki Disease, where the victim dies from blooming flowers if their love is unrequited.





	1. Chapter 1

_Augh, where’s my next class?! I’m so late already!_ Sojin thought frantically as he pulled up a map of the college campus on his phone. A week had already flown by since he started as a freshman at the prestigious Yonsei University, but his complete hopelessness with directions meant he still had to check his map after every class. His honey-brown eyes lit up as they finally caught sight of the historical studies building, where he was supposed to have been five minutes earlier, on the map.

_Please let me get there without walking in circles for another ten minutes_ , he thought, sending a silent prayer to the directional gods as he broke into a jog. As he ran past the fancy buildings that graced Yonsei’s campus, he checked his appearance in the reflection of the windows. He had a strong belief that first impressions are everything, so he strived to make sure he looked his best at all times. Scanning his appearance now, he could see that his dyed, light brown hair--normally in bangs on his forehead--was flying wildly in the wind, but that couldn’t be helped. His clothes, the black sweater vest with the golden Yonsei logo that he had proudly purchased, and his white dress shirt beneath it, fortunately looked fine. As he continued jogging and attempted to brush his bangs back into place with his fingers, he collided with something, or someone, hard.

“Wah!” was all Sojin could get out before toppling over. Rather than landing on the pavement, though, he felt something soft cushion his fall. Groaning he lifted his head to find himself sprawled out over another boy, who seemingly took the brunt of the fall. Sojin let out a gasp, pulling himself off of the other student as if he had touched a hot oven, then pushing himself back to his feet. Getting a better look at the other boy, he could see that he had short black hair with huge eyes and a kind-looking face--although it now had a grimace upon it.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!” Sojin exclaimed, extending his hand towards the downed boy. The other student grabbed it and Sojin helped pull him back to his feet, before bowing multiple times in apology. After the third bow, he looked the other student all over with concern, checking for any injuries. The other boy stood about the same height as him, but was a bit more brawny, which must have helped cushion the fall for Sojin.

“Er, it’s okay, I’m fine,” the other boy finally stated, waving his hand in front of him to assure Sojin that it was okay, a slight smile on his face. “Thanks for all the concern, though. Are _you_ okay?”

Sojin let out a nervous chuckle of embarrassment, relieved that the stranger seemed to be rather kind. “I’m fine! I’m sorry! I’m so late for class--I was trying to get to the history building, but I’m a first year. And really directionally challenged! But that’s no reason for not looking where I was going!”

This time the other boy let out a laugh, seemingly amused by Sojin’s frantic energy level. He glanced in the direction behind him, then pointed a finger towards a small building across the street.

“Aww, you’re a first year? Well, that’s the building you’re looking for. You should just ask someone if you’re lost! Most people here are pretty nice.”

“Ah, thank you so much! And next time I’ll be sure to ask!” Sojin replied, nodding his understanding. He glanced at his phone to check the time and his eyes widened in horror as he realized he was now ten minutes late. Not a good first impression! He bowed one more time to the other boy and began to head towards the building, but before he could get more than a few steps away, the black-haired boy called after him.

“What’s your name?! I should at least know that after this whole drama, right?”

Sojin wheeled around, his honey eyes gleaming with excitement at the chance to make a new friend. “I’m Chae Sojin! And you are?”

“Park Sungjin. I’m a third year, so if you’re ever confused about anything, just ask me! My Kakaotalk ID is just Sungjin333.”

Sojin felt another wave of embarrassment rush over him for having bulldozed over a third year, but he was relieved the boy was so nice. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and pointed to it. “I’ll add you right now! But I’m super late for this class so I have to go! Let’s talk later!”

Sungjin nodded his understanding, the same friendly smile from earlier gracing his face as he waved goodbye to the first year. Sojin made a mad dash for the building, typing Sungjin’s ID into Kakaotalk and adding him as a friend while running forwards, seemingly having learned nothing about looking where he was going. Fortunately, this time he made it to the door of the classroom without injury. Pausing outside of the door, he tapped Sungjin’s name on his phone, opening a chat with the other boy.

“Hi! It’s Sojin! Sorry about earlier and thanks for helping me find my class! I made it thanks to you ^^,” he typed out, reading it over once before pushing send. He placed the phone back in his pocket and brushed his bangs back into place, steadying his breathing and putting on his best apologetic look. Taking a deep breathe he quietly opened the door and attempted to sneak into the room unnoticed. Unfortunately, it seemed like the lecture had already started, and the professor pulled his marker from the board to look at the late newcomer.

“Ah, Chae Sojin, right? So nice of you to join us. I’ll let it slide since it’s only the second week--just don’t make it a habit,” the man stated, signaling to an empty desk next to the window in the third row. Sojin bowed apologetically. The class was made up of first and second years and he could feel all of their eyes on him as he walked across the room, his face flushing. As he finally reached the empty desk, he let out a quiet sigh of relief as he dropped his backpack to the floor and plopped down in the seat. He glanced to his right to see who was sitting at the desk next to him and he felt his heart skip a beat.

Sojin had to admit he tended to fall in love quite easily, but the boy that sat before him now was truly his type. A sharp jawline, perfect nose, puppy dog eyes, and dark brown bangs falling just to his eyebrows...he was perfect. The boy seemed to notice he was being stared at and glanced over at Sojin, who immediately averted his eyes, looking back at the professor in front of the class. Fortunately, his face was already red from his earlier embarrassment, so the handsome boy wouldn’t see it flush yet again.

_Who is that?!_ Sojin thought to himself, fidgeting with the pen in his hands. _It’s only the second week of school. I shouldn’t have any crushes yet, but…_

The freshman was pulled from his thoughts as his professor asked the class a question about the reading they were supposed to have done for this class. Sojin was by no means dumb, but he lacked the confidence to try to answer the question in front of so many new people. He glanced around at the brave students who had raised their hands and was surprised to find that one of them was the handsome boy sitting next to him. The teacher pointed at the boy, nodding.

“Yes, Wonpil, go ahead.”

Sojin flicked the cap off of his pen and instantly scribbled the name into his notebook. Wonpil. What a stroke of luck that the professor had identified his crush for him! He had made a rule with himself that he wouldn’t even think about dating until the second semester, but rules were meant to be broken, right? It had been a long while since he’d felt his heart beat with excitement like this and he wasn’t about to let this beautiful opportunity pass him by.

* * *

Please kudos/subscribe if you liked! :) More to come!


	2. Chapter 2

“I’ll see you next Thursday. Make sure you do your reading!” came Professor Kim’s voice from the front of the classroom. Sojin let out a sigh of relief, happy that he had made it through another day of college. As he placed his notebook and pen back into his backpack, he noticed Wonpil staring in his direction intently. 

_ What the... _ Sojin thought to himself, his heart rate picking up again.  _ What’s he looking over here so intensely for? _

As he zipped his backpack up, curiosity got the better of him and he couldn’t resist the urge to look back over at Wonpil. The other boy, who now seemed to be spacing out, snapped back to attention as he realized he was making Sojin uneasy.

“Oh, sorry,” he stated, pointing at the window behind Sojin. “I was just staring at that bird.”

Sojin resisted the urge to slam his palm into his forehead--of course Wonpil hadn’t been looking at him. Instead, he forced a smile and waved his hands in front of him.

“No worries, no worries! Birds are totally...interesting!” he exclaimed, cringing at himself internally. Although he was nervous to speak with the handsome boy, he realized this was his chance and he had to take it. “Er, you’re Kim Wonpil, right?”

Wonpil shook his head, a slight smile spreading across his lips. “Yep, that’s me! And you’re...Sojin? You’re a first year, right? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you on campus.”

The other boy spoke surprisingly softly, choosing his words carefully and giving off a somewhat shy aura. Sojin wondered what he had to be shy for when he looked so amazing. Regardless, he caught sight of the small smile on Wonpil’s face and felt a bit more confident. So far it seemed like the other boy was at least somewhat interested in speaking with him! “Yep, I’m a first year! That’s actually why I was late...I can never find my way around campus. You’re a second year?”

“Mhmm. Don’t worry, when I was a first year I got so lost that I just ended up not going to class for the first week,” Wonpil replied with a genuine smile that pierced Sojin’s heart. So cute! Wonpil brought his finger to his chin, scratching it for a moment in thought, then awkwardly added, “But you should definitely go to class! It’s important!”

Sojin laughed at the piece of advice and nodded his agreement. Wonpil’s personality was completely different than what he had been expecting. He’d watched so many dramas that he had been sure that the boy would be ice cold, but Wonpil was definitely the shy type--maybe even semi-awkward. In all honesty, that just made Sojin like him even more. He had always preferred the nice, nerdy style to the cold, confident type. The sudden buzz of his phone pulled him from his thoughts and he realized that the rest of the class had already cleared out.

Suddenly feeling embarrassed, Sojin rose to his feet and swung his backpack over his shoulder, his light brown eyes glancing from Wonpil to the door.

“Ah, it was super nice to meet you! I should go...I have to meet my friends. But I’ll see you next week!” Sojin exclaimed. Wonpil simply smiled and closed his eyes, waving goodbye cutely as the younger boy exited the classroom. As Sojin made it to the hallway, he let out a sigh of relief. Even if Wonpil was sweet, it was still nerve wracking to be around someone so handsome. With a nod to himself, he resolved to get closer to his crush by talking with him each class from then on. 

* * *

In the blink of an eye, three more weeks passed and Sojin found himself feeling more comfortable with college life. He had stuck to his mission and spoke to Wonpil each week, attempting to get closer to the boy. He wasn’t sure if he had been successful, but he could certainly feel his own feelings grow with each encounter. The Friday after his fourth discussion with Wonpil, he felt something less savory than the butterflies in his stomach. As he arrived home to his dorm room, he dropped his backpack to the ground and flopped onto his bed with a groan. Sojin wasn’t particularly patient, so playing this slow game of only talking to Wonpil once per week was weighing on him. He wasn’t even sure if he was making progress or if Wonpil had any interest in him. He tried to shake the thought that Wonpil might not like him back, but was suddenly overtaken by a bout of nausea worse than he had felt since he had food poisoning as a child. 

Sojin pushed himself off the bed, covering his mouth with one hand as he dashed to the bathroom, sure that he was about to throw up. He kneeled by the toilet and though he could feel a stabbing pain in his stomach, nothing came up. As the pain continued, he felt his breathing becoming shallow, the air struggling to get down his windpipe. He remembered his mom always telling him to keep calm in times of panic, so he closed his eyes and focused on making his body calm down. Finally, the feeling subsided and his breathing returned to normal. He could feel a cold sweat form on his skin and as he pushed himself back to his feet, his reflection in the mirror had all the color drained from its face.

“What was that…? I never get sick! Especially not nauseous...and why did I feel like I was suffocating?” Sojin muttered to himself through deep breaths as he lightly slapped his cheeks to bring some color back to his face. He returned to his bedroom to look up the symptoms, but a message from Sungjin on his phone caught his attention first. After their first run-in, Sojin had met up with Sungjin twice for coffee on campus. Both times it seemed like the older boy simply wanted to make sure that he was adjusting to college life well for which Sojin was very thankful. Sungjin was so sweet to go out of his way for a random freshmen--not to mention a random freshmen who had knocked him over. 

“Hey hey! My friends and I are having a party tonight ^^ you should come! It’ll be a good way to meet people!” read the text. Sojin’s eyes widened at the thought of his first college party. It was daunting, but Sungjin was right that he’d be able to meet new people there, and he was in no position to turn the older boy down after all of his kindness. He replied that he’d be there then set to work on putting together his hottest outfit. First impressions were everything, after all!

* * *

_ Thanks for reading! :) Please kudos/subscribe if you enjoyed!  _


	3. Chapter 3

After an hour of putting together an outfit and making sure his face looked okay, Sojin admired his work in his bathroom mirror. He had decided to go for a more casual look with a simple white t-shirt under his denim jacket and some plain black jeans. He rarely pushed his bangs out of his face, but since this was a special occasion, he had styled his hair and pushed it back, making him look a bit more mature. He nodded to himself confidently then pumped his fist into the air.

“I clean up nicely!” he exclaimed, complimenting his image in the mirror. “I bet Sungjin hyung will be surprised by this new image!”

With that, he pulled on his black NMD’s and headed out the door, following the map towards Sungjin’s apartment to the best of his ability. Now that over a month had passed, the journey across campus was significantly easier and he arrived at the third-year’s place in just under twenty minutes. Glancing at the time, he saw that it was already 10pm. He hadn’t wanted to arrive too early for fear of having to sit awkwardly, but he hoped Sungjin didn’t think he was rude for showing up at this time. Taking a deep breathe, he reached out to knock on the door, but before his fist could make contact with it, it swung open of its own accord. Sojin’s eyes widened, taken aback, as he saw a tall boy standing in the doorway. The other boy jumped back in surprise as well, before breaking out into a cackle.

“Woah there! You scared me! Are you here for Sungjin’s party?” he asked, giving Sojin a once over.

“Sorry sorry!” Sojin exclaimed, his own heart still racing. “I am! My name’s Chae Sojin...I’m a first year!”

The taller boy suddenly swung his arm around Sojin’s shoulders then pulled him into the building, patting him playfully. Sojin was both intimidated by and grateful for this newcomer’s friendliness.

“Ahh, Sojin! Nice to meet ya, I’m Jae. I didn’t know Sungjin hung out with first years,” the boy replied, letting out another loud laugh as he led Sojin threw the crowd. The apartment was surprisingly large, with an impressive kitchen and a giant common room. The amount of people in it was even more surprising--guys and girls filled the space to the point that Jae was wading through people to get through the crowd, pulling Sojin behind him. Sojin had no idea that Sungjin was this popular and he suddenly felt his nerves escalate. Had he been talking with some campus celebrity this whole time?!

His thoughts were interrupted as they finally emerged on the other side of the crowd, revealing Sungjin sitting at a small coffee table with another boy.

“Sungjin! I was gonna go buy us more soju, but I found your first year friend instead!” Jae exclaimed, patting Sojin’s shoulder proudly. Sojin, completely overwhelmed by this whole scenario, did his best to force a smile as he waved at Sungjin.

“Okay, now that that’s taken care of, I’m gonna actually go get the soju,” Jae stated, finally releasing Sojin. The tall boy smacked Sojin on the butt before heading back towards the front door. “Have fun tonight, kid!”

Sungjin, easily reading Sojin’s unease, pulled up a chair next to his at the coffee table and beckoned for the younger boy to take a seat.

“Sojin! I’m so glad you actually came! You’re the only first year we invited, so you should feel really special,” the black-haired boy stated. Sojin wasn’t sure whether that made him feel happy or just more nervous, but he smiled anyway.

“Thanks so much for inviting me! This apartment is so nice! And I didn’t know you were so popular....” Sojin replied, his honey eyes scanning over the mob of people in front of them. Sungjin let out a laugh and shook his head profusely.

“I’m not, I’m not! Honestly, I probably invited like five people. All of these people are here because of Jae!” he responded. Suddenly, the boy that had been sitting on the other side of the table chimed in.

“I’m not sure if Jae even knows all these people...that’s just the type of person he is. He probably posted it on Insta or something,” he stated, grinning to himself.

“Ah! Sojin! This is Brian,” Sungjin exclaimed, realizing he had forgotten to intro the two. “He and Jae are also third years with me. They’re two of my best friends.”

Sojin immediately rose from his chair and bowed ninety-degrees to Brian. “It’s so nice to meet you! I’m Chae Sojin! A first year! But it seems like everyone knows that already...”

Brian let out a laugh, brushing his black bangs to the side. “Wow Sungjin, this kid is so polite. It’s cute!” He turned his attention to Sojin, locking eyes. “It’s nice to meet you. You don’t have to be all formal--a friend of Sungjin’s is a friend of mine.”

He lifted his glass to his lips to take a sip, but then seemed to realize it was empty. “Oh? I drank it all already? Time to refill! Sojin, come get a drink with me!”

Sojin’s eyes widened a bit, realizing he’d have to drink with someone he’d just met. Although he didn’t have a problem with drinking, he had a horrifically low tolerance which got him into terrible situations ninety percent of the time. For some reason, he glanced at Sungjin as if to ask for approval. Sungjin simply smiled and nodded, which put Sojin a bit more at ease.

“Okay, sure!” Sojin exclaimed, rising from his seat and following Brian towards the kitchen. As they pushed through the crowd, the third-year looked back over his shoulder, making eye contact with Sojin again.

“You...can drink, right?” he asked, raising an eyebrow, though Sojin could detect no judgement in the question. Sojin nodded, a determined look on his face.

“I can! I can definitely, totally drink!” he responded. Brian raised both eyebrows, but seemed to accept the answer as he turned back around and entered the kitchen. Sojin followed, squeezing past two girls, one of who drunkenly blew him a kiss. His face flushing in embarrassed horror, the first-year scurried to Brian’s side at the drink making station.

“Hmmm, since it’s your first drink of the night, wanna just do a soju shot together?” Brian asked, glancing at the younger boy with a smile.

Dammit, shots are a sure-fire way to get me drunk, Sojin thought to himself, cringing at the idea of doing some embarrassing deed while wasted. Still, he didn’t want to seem lame, especially not in front of Sungjin’s friends.

“Yep, I love shots!” he exclaimed with a nod. Brian grinned, pleased with the answer, then poured out two shots, handing one to Sojin.

“Let’s do it love-shot style--to celebrate our first meeting,” he exclaimed with a wink. Sojin felt a sudden hint of anxiety. Was Brian...hitting on him? He remembered the third-year had called him cute earlier, though that was probably just in regards to his mannerisms. He shook the thought, chalking it up to Sungjin’s friends being abnormally friendly.

“Sure! I’m so glad I got to meet Sungin’s friends tonight!” Sojin responded, instinctively attempting to brush the bangs out of his eyes, even though they were pushed back already. To his surprise, Brian pouted his lip, a disappointed look on his face.

“But you’re most glad that you got to meet me, right?” he asked seriously, before breaking into a laugh.

What the--he’s definitely flirting with me! Sojin thought to himself, his heart beginning to race.

“Of course, of course!” the younger boy responded with a nervous chuckle. Brian seemed to be satisfied with the answer, holding out his shot.

“Okay, let’s do this!” he exclaimed, intertwining his arm around Sojin’s in typical love-shot fashion. “1, 2, 3!”

Just as Sojin brought the glass to his lips, he spotted a familiar face out of the corner of his eye. Wonpil stood in the corner of the kitchen, leaning against the counter with his arms crossed as he locked eyes with the first-year.

* * *

_Hehe, please kudos/follow if you enjoyed :)_


	4. Chapter 4

“Guh!” Sojin exclaimed as soju shot out of his mouth upon catching sight of his crush. The remaining alcohol went down the wrong way, causing the first-year to cough and sputter profusely. He could see Wonpil’s eyes widen slightly in concern, but his view was cut off as Brian moved in front of him. 

“Woah, woah, woah there,” Brian exclaimed, giving Sojin a look of concern as the younger boy continued to cough. “If you don’t know how to take a shot, you shoulda just told me! Are you okay?!”

Brian placed his shot glass on the counter and moved to Sojin’s side, wrapping his arm around the other boy’s shoulder. His view now cleared, Sojin looked back at where Wonpil was standing, making eye contact with the second-year once again. A look of surprise crossed Wonpil’s face momentarily, before he broke the gaze and headed out of the kitchen.

_ No! He just saw Brian and I take a love shot and now Brian has his arm around me! What if Wonpil thinks we’re together?!  _ Sojin thought frantically, still coughing a bit. He looked up at Brian with a smile in an attempt to defuse the situation, knowing he had to go find Wonpil as soon as possible and make it clear that they were just friends.

“I’m fine! It just went down the wrong way! I know how to take a shot, gosh,” Sojin replied defensively, crossing his arms in a fake pout. Brian’s face lit up, entertained by the younger boy’s antics. He released his hold on Sojin and picked up his shot glass from the table, filling it back up. 

“If that’s the case, then show me what you can actually do,” Brian insisted, handing the glass to Sojin. For a moment, the younger boy considered refusing, but knew it would be too rude to turn down a drink from a senior. Without wasting a beat, he grabbed the shot glass and threw the alcohol back, cringing slightly as it burned his throat on the way down.

“Ahhh, so refreshing!” Sojin exclaimed, trying to think of a way to excuse himself. “Er...shouldn’t we get Sungjin hyung a drink, though? His was almost empty too!” 

“Aww, such a thoughtful kid,” Brian replied, patting Sojin on the head affectionately. He pointed to a fridge full of beer that was being raided by partygoers. “He’d probably want a beer, so just grab him one of those! I’m gonna say hi to my friend really quick, so I’ll meet you back at the table.”

Sojin nodded his understanding, then rushed off, not wanting to waste another second. Squeezing past some older looking boys, he grabbed a beer from the fridge then all but ran to Sungjin.

“Here you go!” he exclaimed, placing the beer on the table with hardly a look at Sungjin. Glancing around, he tried to locate Wonpil in the crowd, but there were so many people that it was hopeless.

“Woah, what are you so frantic about?” Sungjin asked, pulling a bottle opener from his pocket and opening the beer that Sojin had brought him. “Did Brian scare you that much?”

Sojin immediately stifled his emotions, not having realized he was acting so visibly strange. “Wha? No! He’s so nice...we did a shot together! I just thought I saw one of my classmates and wanted to say hi to him!”

“Hmmm,” Sungjin mumbled as he took a sip of beer, his eyes narrowing at the younger boy. “You’re  _ that _ excited to say hi to your classmate?”

Sojin felt his face flush as he realized that Sungjin was onto him. How was the older boy so perceptive?! Or was he really just that obvious?

“Y-yes! You know I’m a friendly person!” Sojin shot back, trying to mask his embarrassment. Sungjin let out a laugh, shaking his head in disapproval. 

“Ahh, you can’t fool your hyung. I’ve had my share of crushes too. Tell me who it is! Maybe I can help you,” he responded, his large eyes gleaming with anticipation. Sojin was a bit taken aback by Sungjin’s capacity to gossip--he had never seemed like the type that would be interested in this type of thing. Still, after enough drinking, he supposed it was possible for anyone to turn into a gossip.

“I don’t think you know him! He’s a second year…” Sojin replied, hoping that the information would be enough to make Sungjin give up. “And I don’t like him like that! I just think he’s...nice!” 

“Aigoo, I’m hurt that you don’t think you can trust me enough!” Sungjin responded, giving him the ultimate puppy eyes. “It’s my job as a hyung to support you on these types of things…”

Sojin gave in with a groan, unable to deal with the guilt that Sungjin was serving. “Okay, fine! But you have to swear not to tell anyone. Anyone! Including Brian or Jae!”

Sungjin held out his pinky with a satisfied grin. “I promise!”

Sojin dropped into the seat next to the older boy and leaned in close, glancing around to make sure no one was listening. He had always believed that once someone other than oneself knew a secret, it wasn’t a secret anymore, but this time he would have to trust Sungjin.

“I may….or may not….think that a second-year named Wonpil is cute,” he whispered, feeling his face instantly heat up. 

“Oh? Wonpil? Kim Wonpil?!” Sungjin exclaimed quite loudly, his already large eyes growing even larger. Sojin resisted the urge to jump on the older boy and silence him, though the temptation was great.

“Yes! And don’t say it so loud!” Sojin hissed back in a whisper, bringing his palm to his forehead. 

“Ahh, I’m not too close with him, but I’ve heard he’s a nice guy,” Sungjin stated, taking a sip of beer before giving Sojin a more serious look. “But as your hyung, I should tell you that he’s definitely being pursued by someone else right now. Not to discourage you or anything! You should go for it, you can still win him over if you hurry!”

Sojin felt his heart drop a bit. He’d been talking with Wonpil for a month now and he still knew so little about the other boy. Not only that, but how was he supposed to compete with someone that was likely much closer with the second-year?!

“Who? Who’s the person that’s trying to win him over?!” Sojin exclaimed, desperate for any information that could give him an advantage. Sungjin paused in thought for a moment, tapping his chin with his beer bottle, then pointed it towards the first-year.

“Yoon Dowoon! He’s a second year like Wonpil,” he responded. Sojin could basically feel his heart break inside of him. He had heard that name before. Many of the first-year girls that he had befriended spent their time swooning over this Dowoon guy, enamored by his good looks and deep voice. There was absolutely no way he would be able to beat someone in Wonpil’s own year, especially someone supposedly so supposedly good looking. Sungjin seemed to notice that he might have accidentally dashed the younger boy’s dream and did his best to recover.

“Ah! Don’t look like that! You’re just as good looking, Sojin,” the third-year stated, as if reading his friend’s thoughts. “Also, we didn’t invite Dowoon to this party, so this is your chance to go talk to Wonpil. Go on and find him!”

Sojin nodded and rose from his seat, a look of determination on his face. Even if Dowoon had a headstart, this was a prime opportunity to get much closer to his crush, even if he had sent the wrong message earlier in the kitchen. 

“Thanks, Sungjin! I’ll buy you a coffee next time we meet up,” Sojin exclaimed, running off in search of his target. Brian emerged a few moments later, taking a seat across from Sungjin and sipping his mixed drink.

“That Sojin kid is pretty cute, not gonna lie,” he stated, winking at Sungjin. “Thanks for the intro!”

“Uh…” Sungjin began, before getting cut off.

“Don’t worry, don’t worry, I’m not gonna do anything...yet,” Brian interrupted with an innocent smile. 

* * *

After searching the apartment twice over, Sojin let out a sigh of defeat, convinced that his crush had left already. Why did he have to look over at the exact moment that Brian was flirting with him?! Finding an unoccupied corner, he gave the crowd one last glance over, his eyes falling on a glass door to his right that led outside. With the last of his hopes, he made his way to the door and pulled it open, revealing a tiny balcony looking out over a garden. 

Wonpil stood at the balcony’s railing, leaning on it and gazing at the garden pensively. Sojin’s heart skipped a beat, shocked that he had actually found the other boy here. As he stepped outside and closed the door behind him, he could feel nervous butterflies overtake his stomach. This was like something out of a drama. The garden, the stars, and just the two of them in the silent night. As the door closed, Wonpil glanced behind him to see who the newcomer was. Catching sight of Sojin, he pushed himself up from the railing and turned to face the younger boy, his hair styled handsomely to reveal his forehead. The sight was so beautiful that the first-year opened his mouth, but was truly at a loss for words. Fortunately, Wonpil took the initiative, offering a slight smile.

“Ah, Sojin…I didn’t know you’re friends with Sungjin,” he stated in his soft voice. Sojin nodded, walking over to the railing where Wonpil stood and doing his best to keep his face from turning red.

“I was lucky to meet him! Actually, I met him on the same day that I met you...the day I was late to class,” Sojin responded with a shy laugh. He could feel his palms beginning to get sweaty. Talking to Wonpil in a normal school scenario was already hard enough, but this romantic setting was making it ten times more difficult to keep his cool.

“I see! I’m actually not even close with him, I just saw the invite on my friend Jae’s Instagram and decided it would be good for me to socialize for once,” Wonpil replied with a genuine grin, overwhelming the first-year with cuteness. “I saw you with his friend, Brian! Are you two...together?”

Sojin’s honey eyes widened, the moonlight glinting off of them, as he was completely taken aback by the direct question. 

“W-wha?! No! We’re not. We’re definitely not! I literally just met him, it’s not like that!” Sojin burst out, waving his hands in front of him. Feeling a sudden pang of courage, he added, “What about you? Are you seeing anyone?”

Wonpil brought his finger to his chin, tapping it lightly in his typical thinking pose. After a moment, he tilted his head, glancing to the side awkwardly.

“Well...I’m not seeing anyone  _ officially _ , but there’s someone I’ve gone out with a few times,” he responded, glancing at Sojin to see his response. The first-year did everything in his power to play it cool, though he felt a wave of despair wash over him.

“Ahh, I see, I see! I--” The boy’s response was cut short as the same nauseous feeling as earlier hit him, but even worse. Sojin let out a gasp, grabbing the railing to steady himself as the vertigo overcame him. Wonpil’s puppy dog eyes widened in concern at the sudden outburst.

“What’s wrong?! Are you okay?” Wonpil asked, reaching out and grabbing the first-year’s shoulder to help steady the boy. Sojin felt the same suffocating feeling as he had in his room, but this time it gave way to an intense bout of coughing. The first-year grabbed at his chest, trying to stop the cough, horrified that this was all happening in front of Wonpil. 

“Sojin! Sit on the ground and let me get you some water!” the older boy exclaimed worriedly, helping Sojin to sit before running into the apartment to find a drink. The coughing continued for a few moments, intensifying to the point that the first-year thought he might just pass out, until something came out of the boy’s mouth, floating lightly to the ground. The coughing and pain finally subsided and Sojin picked the object up, examining it with his light brown eyes. A pale pink flower petal.


End file.
